Saving the Industry from Itself: A Case of the Railway Industrial Heritage in Kenya

Kenya railway represents the earliest direct interaction between Kenya and the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. It came to Kenya in 1895 after it had successfully opened up many parts of the world and has since then been a key mode of transport for over 100 years. This entrenches the railway as part of Kenya’s heritage as it has impacted many aspects of the sociocultural and economic spheres of life. This study identifies the industrial heritage associated with the railway and explores the state of conservation of its artefacts and machines, and the risks associated with their preservation. The study concludes that industrial heritage is not clearly defined and no legal framework specifically targets this heritage for conservation. Further, the heritage has only been haphazardly conserved, with no clear vision of management, documentation and preservation, and no resources are allocated to a conservation strategy other than the ‘minimalist approach’ adopted by the Railway Museum. The level of sensitization is low and the public is not informed and/or associated to the conservation needs of this heritage. Advocacy, sensitisation and thorough interventive and preventive conservation practices are some of the viable ways of saving the heritage from imminent loss.